Malodora's Proudest Creation

We've asked our Bead Art Original members to tell us about their "proudest creations." In this post, Malodora tells us about hers, in her own words:


The bracelet depicted here may not be my proudest creation, but it is the best piece I’ve ever made from an accumulation of mistakes.



I attempted to coat the individual polymer clay beads with a mixture that would give them a “fresco”-type surface. While following the somewhat detailed and unusual instructions led me to a reasonable end point, the beads were--to my overly critical eye--pretty “fugly”. After chipping off the coating, and trying again, I was still unhappy with the result. I chipped the coating off again and discovered a myriad of tiny cracks in the beads. I was crestfallen. I toyed with the idea of covering the ruined beads with a veneer of colorful polymer, but I had spent so much time on these wretched beads that would probably end up in the “junk jar”, that I decided against wasting any more time.

I had already discarded some of the beads when it occurred to me that I might be able to use the unusual crazing to my advantage. After antiquing the first piece, I knew I had my solution. The resulting bracelet is one I am quite proud of. I’ve tried to make polymer crack like this ever since, and have failed to produce even one tiny crack. Someday I might try to repeat the process, but it is so labor-intensive and far down my list . . . . let’s just say, don’t hold your breath.

This process of working through and from my mistakes has taught me more about creativity than any other exercise I’ve ever done. It has also honed my critical eye, and probably taught me dozens of other lessons as well.